Second Line Rescue: Improvised Responses to Katrina and Rita

Images from Hurricanes Katrina and Rita: A Photo Essay

73 PHOTOS BY DAVE SPIZALE, BARRY JEAN ANCELET, MARY PERRIN, SHARON SUIRE, AND COURTESY OF REBECCA BROUSSARD Images from Hurricanes Katrina and Rita A Photo Essay Volunteer rescuers coming into New Orleans on left; traffic on right has been turned around by authorities due to concerns about the safety of civilians in the water. Photo by Dave Spizale. 74 Dave Spizale, Barry Jean Ancelet, Mary Perrin, Sharon Suire, Rebecca Broussard On Airline Highway near Sam’s parking lot where Mr. Quibodeaux improvised control of available resources. Photo by Dave Spizale. Volunteer rescuers preparing to launch on the ramp at the Interstate 10 / Interstate 610 split. Photo by Dave Spizale. Images from Hurricanes Katrina and Rita: A Photo Essay 75 Rescuers idling under the Interstate, sorting through mixed messages from various authorities (New Orleans police, National Guard, Levee Board, Wildlife and Fisheries) most of whom were trying to discourage volunteers from heading into flooded New Orleans. This spot eventually was converted into a major triage drop-off point. Photo by Dave Spizale. Boating down Canal Boulevard which has become an actual canal; the railroad tracks crossing was high ground that served as transfer point for evacuees. Photo by Dave Spizale. 76 Dave Spizale, Barry Jean Ancelet, Mary Perrin, Sharon Suire, Rebecca Broussard Exposed railroad track serving as pickup spot for evacuees. Photo by Dave Spizale. Evacuees on the back of Dave Spizale’s boat; they had walked from the flooded convenience store where they worked in New Orleans East along the exposed ridges to reach a pickup point at West End near Lake Pontchartrain. They offered to pay the Spizales with some of the supplies they had taken with them from the store (energy drinks, cigarettes, candy bars . . .). Photo by Dave Spizale. Images from Hurricanes Katrina and Rita: A Photo Essay 77 Another exposed railroad track serving as an evacuee pickup point. Photo by Dave Spizale. Staging area for injured evacuees, with ambulances and helicopters standing by. Photo by Dave Spizale. 78 Dave Spizale, Barry Jean Ancelet, Mary Perrin, Sharon Suire, Rebecca Broussard Heading down Canal Boulevard toward Lake Pontchartrain. Note the semiautomatic carried by one of the rescuers in the foreground. Photo by Dave Spizale. Idling down flooded streets because of debris and to avoid producing a wake. Photo by Dave Spizale. Images from Hurricanes Katrina and Rita: A Photo Essay 79 Staging area with volunteer rescuers picking up stranded evacuees. Photo by Dave Spizale. A crashed rescue helicopter near Bayou St. John in Mid-City, New Orleans. Photo by Barry Jean Ancelet. 80 Dave Spizale, Barry Jean Ancelet, Mary Perrin, Sharon Suire, Rebecca Broussard Storm damage on Harding Street in Mid-City, New Orleans. Photo by Barry Jean Ancelet. On the road to Erath after Hurricane Rita. Photo by Barry Jean Ancelet. Images from Hurricanes Katrina and Rita: A Photo Essay 81 The Erath/Delcambre Head Start Building after Hurricane Rita. Photo by Barry Jean Ancelet. The school demolished by Hurricane Rita in Henry, Louisiana. Photo by Barry Jean Ancelet. 82 Dave Spizale, Barry Jean Ancelet, Mary Perrin, Sharon Suire, Rebecca Broussard A meadow in Pacaniere (Pecan Island). The house in the background was washed off its foundation by Hurricane Rita’s storm surge. The house was stopped by the tree line. Its foundation is in the foreground. Photo by Barry Jean Ancelet. Blue boats wrecked by Hurricane Rita on the Intracoastal Waterway at Intracoastal City, Louisiana. Photo by Barry Jean Ancelet. Images from Hurricanes Katrina and Rita: A Photo Essay 83 In the process of recovery, a crane moves a beached shrimp boat back into Intracoastal Canal. Photo by Barry Jean Ancelet. Red boat on its side at Intracoastal City after Hurricane Rita. Photo by Barry Jean Ancelet. 84 Dave Spizale, Barry Jean Ancelet, Mary Perrin, Sharon Suire, Rebecca Broussard Volunteer rescue operations in Abbeville. Photo courtesy of Rebecca Broussard, Vermilion Parish Office of Homeland Security Emergency Preparedness. Volunteer rescue operations in Abbeville. Photo courtesy of Rebecca Broussard, Vermilion Parish Office of Homeland Security Emergency Preparedness. Images from Hurricanes Katrina and Rita: A...